Portrait of Francis I, King of France (after J. Clouet) 1566 - 1574

Editor: This is "Portrait of Francis I, King of France (after J. Clouet)" by Haydar Reis, also called Nigari. I'm struck by its miniature scale and the almost dreamlike quality of the colours. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It's a fascinating cultural exchange, isn’t it? A Turkish artist interpreting a French king! The slight stiffness in the pose, the flattening of perspective... It hints at Nigari grappling with a style utterly foreign to the Ottoman court. How do you think he felt about depicting a European monarch? Editor: That's a great question! I hadn’t thought about it from that perspective. It makes you wonder about the story behind its creation. Curator: Absolutely! Imagine the stories this little painting could tell. Each brushstroke a whisper across continents.